Entry 117: Kingdom of Awe and its Matters
In all the years of my travels, there had been nothing comparable to Awe. When I first planted my feet on the oak wood of King's Harbor, I was blinded, dumbstruck by the majesty of this great marvel. My eyes observed the most developed sector of the world, my heart felt the gravitas of Pokémon ingenuity and civilization. The physical appearance of the continent was a sight to behold, but deep down, the true beauty derives from the rich, rich history of this land. Everywhere I walked, everywhere I looked, I could feel the spirit of humanity rearing its head. Although it was said that mankind became extinct generations ago on this island, their presence is still here; it's hidden beneath layers of distraction and filth, but it is here, I assure you. With how secretive and buried it is, I feel as if someone intentionally tried to erase them from history, but they have failed to wipe all the stains clean. Their lust for dominance, their desire for wealth, these ideals will always remain in Awe, no matter who shall rule this land.
[REDACTED]
Awe radiates astronomical amounts of raw power, spawning a craving never to be satisfied on any other continent. That is why few beings ever depart this land because their souls become intrinsically linked to this place. For one to turn away from that indomitable power, they would have to rescind all their material desires and be reborn. I was lucky to have escaped before I became consumed by these unnatural forces, which trapped the humans and Pokémon that came before me. I feel pity for these inhabitants, for they live in a land that wants nothing but to tear apart all that is good in the world and cause misery and pain. Only Arceus can save them from their inevitable doom lest they suffer the same fate as their predecessors.
Quilava (MIA)
Expedition Society Explorer
"LOUIE, HELP ME!"
The high-pitched shout ringed inside the Riolu's ears, but his mind was revolving around a different star. His heartbeat raced as his legs moved swifter down the dark path. Rocks crumbled around him, barely missing Louie's body.
"Please... Louie, this was all a mistake..." the chippy and subdued tone burdened Louie for a moment. "We need to go back..."
He paused in retrospect to the sound of his companion's cry before replying, "I NEED to go on. Why are you trying to hold me back while I'm on the brink of an amazing discovery?" Louie croaked.
"Bu-but..." the voice was muddled by his incessant coughing. "Our parents are going to get mad at us. I don't... think this is all... worth it."
"To you, it may not," Louie trudged on forward at last, erasing the second thoughts from his mind, "but this could be the answer to why Mystery Dungeons exist, and the prevalence of anomalies in the world. This could be my chance to gain my aura, yet you would rather go home... you would rather follow the orders of your father than to make something of yourself."
As he traveled farther away from his partner, the Riolu's sharp ears received less and less audio, "wh-what happened to you...? This isn't... who you are... Louie..."
Sneering from the remark, Louie stepped closer to the dazzling treasure he was destined to find. In the distance, he spotted a source of light not originating from his glowing necklace.
Could it be... a fire at the bottom of a Mystery Dungeon?
Mount Abbey 2nd Clearing
"HEY LOUIE!" the tone was sudden and abrupt.
Returning to reality, the Riolu shrugged off the ensuing headache and faced towards the origin of the sound. His arms and belly ached, alongside his heart. Lying upon the Kangaskhan was in no way healthy to his posture, and his head bumped into the stone statue when Kippy awakened him. Still, he felt grateful for this rest stop as well as the second chance Truth gave to him yesterday. Put simply, things could have been far worse.
"Something the matter? You usually don't sleep this long..." the Mudkip's face was genuinely worried. His fins were slightly redder than usual, and his eyes, droopy and apprehensive, portrayed a tired and confused soul.
"Nah... I guess I've been overly exhausted lately," the Riolu replied with a sigh.
"Oh, is that so?" the Mudkip choked out his words in syllables. "But... you were talking in your sleep. Wh-what was that about...?"
"No-no reason..." the Riolu quickly corrected himself, confused by his companion's statement. "That's something I wasn't aware of because..."
"Yeah, I get it," the Mudkip understood the reasoning. "You always sleep by yourself, right? But you were also shaking uncontrollably. I thought you were freezing up or something..."
"It is a bit chilly in here," Louie rebutted. "Still, it's nothing you don't get used to if you're out in the wilderness for a while."
Shrugging in embarrassment, the Mudkip conceded his true purpose: "I honestly can't stand this cave anymore. Sorry for waking you up..."
"No, I get it." Louie got his bearings and positioned himself up, wiping the rubble from his legs. "We need to reach the exit soon, or we won't have enough supplies to find civilization." He glanced around his surroundings before asking, "speaking of which, what's our bag looking like?"
At the sound of his question, the Mudkip scurried towards the leather bag before pillaging it. His legs stumbled through a series of items before taking notice of something he recognized.
"Wh-what is this...?" Kippy struggled trying to grasp it, but he eventually fished it out of the satchel. "It looks like a—"
"—Necklace? Why would you need something like this?" the Piplup had a puzzled face.
"Pippin," the small Riolu beckoned the Piplup's attention. "it's no normal necklace; it's a Sol Necklace, containing fragments from smashed-up Solrock. In essence, it lights up in the dark even when the sun is far away."
"W-wow..." his eyes dazzled like stars. "That's incredible. But... still, why would you need such a thing?" he asked as his face grew slightly troubled.
"For a little adventure!" the Riolu winked, his smile betraying his excitement. He snatched the necklace off the Piplup and returned it into his bag.
"Um," Pippin's face grew flushed, "for the second time, you haven't answered my question..."
The small Riolu lifted himself from the ground, portraying a sly grin. "Pippin, I'm afraid not all answers can be derived just from somebody telling you them," Louie stated. "Sometimes, the answer is out there."
"O-okay," the Piplup's confused expression was unchanged. "But what is out there?"
"Come on, I'll show you."
Louie's room was fitly decorated, as would be for anyone of his status; the academic awards from the Jackal and Brain Academy hung in framed pieces on the stone wall. From a Medal of Distinction by General Pawn to being commemorated as Most Likely to Discover a New Continent in his geography class, the surroundings embodied a Jackal. One could study the room for hours and still not find every nook and cranny; however, this was no time for inspection.
The duo sauntered out Louie's complex, admiring the lavish red carpet and adorned hallway. The ambience was quiet except for the slow swaying of metal from the Bisharps standing guard outside.
"So, Pippin," he began as he looked towards the weirdly quiet Piplup, "still hanging in there?" The Riolu's tone was forcefully empathetic.
"Yeah..." he chirped out with his usual smile. "Except... pa's forcing me to leave the academy, so that I can spend all my time learning from the generals and himself. But, ugh, I really wished he didn't."
"Why's that?" the Riolu's ears perked up. "Isn't that how it's supposed to work though? You are the Prince after all."
"I guess it is," the Piplup voiced with clear second thoughts. "But... I really miss my friends at the Academy. I miss the... the..."
"Connections?" the Riolu finished the sentence for him.
"Yes," Pippin agreed. "I miss the connections… plus, I don't even get to see them after school with all that Pa piles on me."
"Yeah, I can't imagine how lonely that must be—"
"Ye-yeah..." the Piplup interrupted. "But there's no point in me complaining. I must be strong for everybody. I can't be like a child anymore..."
The two fell into a deep silence; Pippin wore a tired expression while Louie's was remorseful and solemn. He spent an eternity trying to think of a response before deciding to just give a gentle pat on Pippin's shoulders.
As they walked along the corridor, their ears picked up on the commotion of other fellow castle residents. There were always constant complaints surrounding Lucifer and Empoleon, but this time, it did not even seem like they were hiding it.
"Hey... let's take the back stairs, alright?" Louie suggested warmly, blocking out the outside conversations.
"Sure," Pippin complied.
Their pace quickened as they reached a fork in the hallway. One road led towards more rooms in the faint distance, while the other paved a path towards the King's office. However, neither path they sought.
"Say, Pippin, how does this even work?" the Riolu asked. The duo was now staring at a brick wall in between the diverging roads.
"It's funny that you ask because..." Pippin exclaimed as they both miraculously phased through the wall without a hitch. "I bugged Master Torkoal for weeks about it until he gave me an answer."
"And that is...?"
After having done it several times, traversing the wall was as routine as walking through a door that almost felt like a portal. However, Louie recalled when Pippin first showed him the secret exit when the two were in trouble from their parents; it was horrifying to imagine, let alone enter. With enough convincing, Louie eventually phased through the wall, in which he felt the separate parts of his body malforming and shifting to fit through the brick particles, and the rancid thought of being crushed persisted in his mind. He vowed to never do that again... until they realized how convenient it was to have an unknown place of exodus whenever they needed.
"Well... you know how Torkoal is," Pippin began. "He rarely ever gives concrete answers."
"Yeah, I know. Still, what did he say?" Louie repeated while the two stood still, examining the dark, decrepit stairway spiraling down in an endless maze.
"He said... I think: The victor who learns from his defeated enemies' strengths shall forever be the victor. Or something like that."
"Th-that's it...?" the Riolu quickly replied. "Really?"
"Yeah, and I had to spend the whole afternoon in the spa with him to get that answer!" the Piplup interjected energetically. "Anyway, what do you think of it?"
"Well... I mean the technology must have been taken from an enemy of the State, right?" Louie concluded.
"Yeah, but from whom? The entire kingdom has been at peace for centuries; what enemy would there be to learn from?" the Piplup questioned.
"Well, we have had a few disputes with other continents, but I don't think any of them were outright enemies," he first said before continuing.
"Wait Louie—what about the Ghosts?"
"What about them?"
"They could've been the enemies...?"
The Riolu was genuinely confused. "What do you mean? The Ghosts complied peacefully to the movement of their people to the Promised Land. Why would they have been considered enemies?"
"Oh... yeah..." the Piplup blushed and looked away. "Yeah, you're right..."
After hearing his apprehensive words, the Riolu's stomach twisted into knots before his mind set itself into deep thinking.
"Pippin," Louie beckoned, "something you not telling me?" He attempted his best effort to solve the riddle himself, but it was too difficult. However, he knew that the Piplup's vision was clear.
"Ugh... maybe..." the Piplup could not bring himself to return Louie's intense eye contact.
"Buddy..." the Riolu kneeled his right leg before placing his paw on the Piplup's shoulder. "You know you can tell me these things. I won't say it to anybody else; I promise you that."
The Piplup looked as if his stomach was being turned inside out. He grew more and more uncomfortable until he conceded: "maybe... maybe, it wasn't an all-so-peaceful transfer of power."
The Riolu's eyes turned a darker red as he realized the implications of the statement. "So... they've been lying to us."
Pippin giggled surprisingly at Louie's words, "s-sorry... that's funny because... well I can't say that."
"I'm guessing this isn't an isolated incident?" Louie's tone suddenly became agitated and disdainful.
"M-maybe not, but... but... it's for the good of everybody!" the Piplup chirped, appearing frightened from Louie's reaction.
"How would they know what's good for all of us if we don't have a choice?!" Louie barked out.
At this point, the Piplup was shaking in place; practically speechless, he merely replied: "I-I don't know..."
Noting his defeated reaction, the Riolu stepped back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fri—"
"It's okay..." he interrupted in his pitiful tone. "Let's just move on, alright?"
The words tore into Louie's heart, but he nodded nonetheless, trying to keep his emotions from exploding. He bit his lips and swallowed the spit that had been building up ever since they had entered the back stairs.
After a momentary silence, the two descended down the cold stone steps into the void of blackness. The only reason the space was not pitch black was due to the gaudy torches that hung in gold frames in intervals of around ten steps. However, these were not standard fire torches; they had a light blue tint at the edges while the root shone a mixture of magenta and violet. When near one of these torches, one could hear quiet whispers as if one were doing a ritual or a prayer.
Aside from the flames, the only other source of sound was the impact of feet on stone, for the two were preoccupied with their own thoughts.
How will Pippin react to my request?
The Riolu took a moment to observe his companion thoroughly; the Piplup's posture was slightly slanted, but that was typical of his species. However, his beak was atypically dull and acute.
No wonder why he's never mastered the ability to peck.
Furthermore, Pippin was abnormally tall and relatively lanky, but he still had that signature chubbiness one would expect from his species. And he always had that smile. That darn smile.
I've seen him frown before, but it's never lasted any longer than a few moments before being 'corrected'. I wonder what it would take to...
"Hey... we're finally at the bottom!" Pippin exclaimed.
Snapping out of his own thoughts, the Riolu suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing: walking down flights of stairs.
"WAAAH!" Louie suddenly cried out, his two feet tangling up before his entire body followed suit.
Before he knew it, he was eating stone, and his entire body was of filth.
In the near vicinity, he could hear a quiet chuckle. Louie could not help but feel slightly agitated. "Cou-could you help please?"
"S-sorry!" the Piplup replied quickly. "The way you fell down was just really..."
He heard a series of footsteps before a force pulled his torso to face up. He coughed several times before attempting to open his eyes up.
"You looked like you came straight from Giratina's domain! I probably shouldn't have spooked you that bad," Pippin reflected as he stood right next to his fallen comrade.
"Tis' but a scratch, but a scra—" his words were interrupted by a sudden urge to cough. Afterwards, he cleared his throat and finished his sentence: "scratch".
"It seems like that way," he said while examining Louie's body for anything serious. "The amount of dust here is insane though."
"Yeah... we better get out of here before we catch anything serious," he agreed, wishing Pippin to help him up.
After a momentary silence, Louie sighed before pushing himself off the ground and patting the rubble off his body.
"The exit should be over here," the Piplup informed him as they continued their trek down a linear, poorly lit hall.
"Gotcha..."
Before long, the two were faced with a stone wall. Dead-end.
"Here we go again," the Riolu commented. The two exchanged glances before entered the bended space.
Reaching the other side, the Louie reflected once again on this strange phenomenon.
What strange being would construct something like this?
"Hey Louie!" the Piplup raised his hands to gain Louie's attention. "Isn't it about time you tell me what's going on?"
"Uh... yeah," the Louie gave a hesitated smile before glancing away.
The two paused to inspect the new vibrant scenery surrounding them. Compared to the dreary grays and purples previously, the forest seemed utopian. The oak trees were large and vast, their limbs stretching out in every direction. Dandelions and violets flourished with the wind brushing against their petals. It was the perfect... escape.
When Pippin gave the Riolu his signature reassuring look, Louie took the cue to search through his bag.
"So... you're pretty good at maps, right?" the Riolu waited a moment for the Piplup to return a nod before grabbing a rugged piece of parchment out of the satchel.
"Alright..." he rolled out the map before pointing his stubby paw at the center-right. "This is where we're at..." he trailed off as his thumb paw traversed the forest terrain down south towards the mountains. "And that's where we're heading."
"You—" the Piplup paused to process the information. "You mean we're heading to THE MAW? Are you insane?"
"No-no," the Riolu quickly corrected. "The destination is just near it. Don't worry, we're not actually going there—yet" the Riolu smirked as Pippin's cheeks grew flushed red.
"Ha... ha... very funny," the Piplup awkwardly laughed. "But Louie, what's the point of this? Surely we aren't taking a leisure walk down to the most dangerous part of the world for nothing..."
"No, we aren't..." the Riolu gulped for a second. "I was... you know, minding my own business inside the Jackal Quarters when I happened across an Objective Form."
"That's how you got this location?"
"Yeah... but it gets way more interesting," the Riolu beckoned the Piplup to follow him. "But I'll tell the story on the way."
"Al-alright..."
After the pair had trekked across a series of pine tree, Louie kept his promise: "So the form, it wasn't like the normal ones everybody learns at school. First, the mission details were absolutely covered in ghost print."
"You mean the blacked-out text that needs a cipher, right?" after noticing the Louie's approval, he said, "well, I'm guessing you weren't able to determine much, huh?"
"Actually... I went down to see Champ if she'd—"
"Heh, Champ..." Pippin muttered while grinning.
"Wh-what...?"
"N-nothing," he quickly replied, covering his laughter with his two fins. "It's just that... you two seem—"
Pippin paused in his speech and allowed the silence to build up. The Riolu narrowed his eyes towards him before shaking his head.
"Anyway, Champ was able to decipher most of it, but there were still some parts out of her league. I'd find someone else, but she was the only person I trusted that won't leak the information," he stated, before adding quickly, "other than you, of course."
The Piplup was practically leaping in excitement. "Well, what does it say? Please don't be like my instructors and try to amp up something that isn't even anything cool..."
"Okay, calm down Pippin, I'll tell you," Louie agreed before his conscious ate into him.
Do I tell him the truth? Would he still agree to it?
"Come on Louie..." the Piplup beckoned once again, "I'm dying to know... Please! Else I won't—"
"It's to get my aura!" Louie suddenly announced with little consideration. "That's why we're going through so much trouble... to help me reach my full potential as a Jackal."
Pippin's face was one-of-a-kind; his mouth was completely agape, and his eyes looked beady and as if they grew two-fold. Needless to say, the Piplup seemed happy to hear the revelation.
"REALLY? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!" The Piplup was leaping now.
"Hey... you don't want to stir any unnecessary attention," the Riolu gulped as he placed his palms on Pippin's shoulders. "We got a long way, so I don't need you expending all your energy before we even get into the dungeon."
"Yeah... you're right," he agreed, but something still confused his mind. "But I thought Lucifer said there was no way for you to attain it..."
The words struck a tender nerve inside Louie. His face scrunched up and his brows pointed inwards toward his nose.
"Well, they're wrong!" Louie suddenly lashed out. "All you guys do is just doubt me; maybe if you and the rest of the Kingdom had a little faith, I'd already have my aura."
Pippin looked down in honest sympathy, "Louie, you know that's not what I meant... I just think that it's a bit over um... overzealous to think this random classified dungeon can solve all your problems."
"But I know it will...!" Louie retorted in the same energy, "that's why they were hiding it from me. They wanted it to be a gift for when I pass my physical... or for it to be my physical. That's why it's all covered up! It's not really that dangerous of a dungeon."
Even though he was extremely young, the Piplup was confused by the Riolu's logic, "well... have you considered the possibility they may have hid it from you because they don't know if it was true? Or that it won't have any negative effects on you?"
Louie stayed quiet for a moment thinking of his response. He eventually grumbled under his breath: "Come on Pippin..." Louie's eyes pointed directly towards the apprehensive Piplup. "Wouldn't you do anything to become your strongest self? It's the same for me."
Pippin nodded solemnly before replying: "yes, you're right." Before Louie turned away to continue walking down the forest path, he noticed his friend laying his flippers together vertically. "Arceus, oh holy Arceus, guide us with your shining light as we trek across this tarnished land. Please allow my greatest of friends Louie to reach his full potential as a defender of your great righteousness..."
Louie chuckled sincerely: "yes, that's the spirit. Now, let's get a move on."
"Hey!" the Piplup scolded back, "I haven't finished my prayer!"
Mount Abbey Depths 10F
It had already been several hours since Kippy and Louie were at the clearing when they took a momentary break in an alcove; the arduous climb and continuous battles inside the dungeon were far too tiresome for the Mudkip, but Louie seemed as focused as ever.
Earlier in the cave, he was extremely surprised when Louie told him that his water abilities were strong enough to penetrate through most the rock types in the dungeon, but when a lone Graveler appeared from the darkness, it was practically second nature for Kippy to unleash the buildup of liquid in his stomach. After everything was said and done, the Pokémon dropped like a boulder and collapsed, and Louie gave a smug smile.
And it was like that for most of the dungeon. Any sort of quarrel was easily dispatched by the strength of Louie and the vapor pressure of Kippy. However, one time in which Kippy was ambushed by a Zubat, Louie threw a sharp spike from the old torn bag he brought, and to tend to Kippy's small wound, he smashed up a mixture of oran berry and Thompson berry that both reenergized and revitalized him. The bag of oddities was useful after all.
Furthermore, Louie and Kippy moved with exceptional speed. The various paths in the dungeon led to dead-ends, yet Louie knew exactly where to travel once they hit a roadblock. He had a feeling this was not Louie's first rodeo, and that this hidden expertise was what got Louie into this situation in the first place. His mind wondered what secrets this Riolu hid, though he realized the action was fruitless given the circumstances.
By the time the dungeon sparkled with amethyst and other various crystals in the wall, Louie kept his head farther up; he was slouched over before. This was also when Louie informed Kippy that they needed to move at the same pace, for neither of them wanted to find another in this darkness. It would be perfectly normal to say this tactic once, but Louie practically repeated it every time they entered a new room or had separated for a moment.
Nevertheless, the path towards the outside world still seemed a long one to the weary Mudkip; however, his mind became enthusiastic at the thought of talking to someone other than Louie for once. He meant no offense to the intense Riolu, but in the end, something concerned him about sticking too close to this 'mon.
The sun was directly above Louie and Pippin when the pair arrived close to their supposed destination. After crossing the Royal Woods, they journeyed through a mountain range before finding themselves inside a small canyon of sorts. Very few Jackals ever traveled through this area of the map, but reports had shown that immigrants were settling in these ranges for various reasons. Louie could see why: the lush land and the warm and wet climate were perfect for many non-water types to live.
They could also go about their lives without the direct influence of the Kingdom and its jurisdictions, Louie further realized.
He wondered: if there were to be mass migration to these mountain ranges, would Empoleon decide to annex—
No, Empoleon already owns this land. It wouldn't be annexing; it would be ending the salutary neglect and exerting real power over the region.
He had this strange feeling that these Pokémon would not take kindly to the requests of the King. It may even require brute force or perhaps armed engagement to change many of these stubborn hillbillies.
Let's just hope we reach some sort of mutual agreement just like we did for the Northerners.
"Hey Louie!" the loud voice startled the Riolu. "Aren't we almost there yet? At this rate, we'll be reaching the Maw soon..."
Louie snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, you're right..." he pulled out the map once again and scanned for the entrance. "There should be ruins nearby that will take us to the cave."
In the span of ten minutes, they found themselves inside a tight corridor that stretched for little more than a mile. The grassy terrain became more of a yellow tint, and the trees around were decayed and dead. Louie suddenly remembered the addendum to their mission.
The Objective Form said there could be unforeseen obstacles...
"Holy Arceus!"
After hearing the Piplup's cry, the Louie spotted the end of the corridor, in which a giant expanse opened in front of them. However, when Pippin expected to find an entrance cave, he was sorely disappointed.
"What is this?" the Piplup exclaimed. "That is definitely not a natural formation!"
In front of them was a series of elegant, white pillars smashed together into an amalgamation that only a dream could ever imagine. The graveyard of pillars completely obstructed their view of anything beyond.
"Why would there be columns in the middle of nowhere? This makes no sense..." the Piplup stated, mainly to himself.
Louie had his paw on his chin, contemplating the validity of this situation. He knew it was impossible for a Pokémon to have actually placed this obstacle through physical means, so he decided to walk up to the nearest pillar and—
"Ahh!" Louie immediately recoiled from the pain of the hit before using his left paw to comfort his right. When he attempted to Brick Break the pillar, a strange shielding effect had reciprocated the damage back to him.
"Louie! Are you okay?" the Piplup hurried to Louie's side, inspecting Louie's sore paw.
"Yes... yes..." the Riolu spat out. "The pillars are merely an illusion, but there's a bizarre force preventing us from destroying it.
"S-so... what do we do?"
"I have an idea..." the Riolu stepped back, ushering the Piplup to come closer. "Hit me, Pippin."
"What...?" the Piplup turned rotated his head in confusion. "Do you need a shower or something?" he laughed to himself.
"No... I meant for you to Peck me. It would—"
"Peck? Wouldn't that really hurt you?" the Piplup interrupted.
He looked away from Pippin. "Yeah... possibly, but with your beak it wouldn't take too much of a toll. I just need a stimulus of pain to access my innate energy."
"Uhhh... I'm not too sure about th—"
"Just do it Pippin," Louie ordered fiercely. "We're wasting precious sunlight."
Facing directly toward his target, the Riolu closed his eyes and waited for his companion to attack. He cleared his mind, removing all the excess thoughts that distracted him. Almost an eternity passed by the time a swish occurred to his left.
The super-effective attack completely numbed his arm and elbow, but Louie was counting on that. He let all the negative emotions rain down on his consciousness...
What a pathetic Riolu...
Why can't you be like Luke?
Such pity and compassion will only make you a fool, not a hero.
You must be one of Arceus' "mistakes".
By the time his energy teetered beyond capacity, his entire body became a ball of dark energy that transpired into a concentrated force.
"NOW!"
CRASH!
After the initial blast, Louie and Pippin were sent flying across the plains. After a minute or so, the two crawled their way up off the ground while reorganizing the thoughts in their heads.
By the time their eyes cleared up and their mouths were functioning, the two realized the pillars had disappeared. Furthermore, a giant dust cloud had gathered around them, presumably from the attack.
"Louie! Whatever you did worked!" he shouted. "Speaking of which... what did you do? That was no aura I've ever seen..."
Louie was patting the dirt off his body when he responded: "It's a little technique called Hidden Power. Apparently, almost every Pokemon can learn the move, but its effects are different for everymon. And mine's well... extremely explosive and unique."
"WHAT?" the Piplup wondered excitedly. "How come I've never heard about this?"
"Well..." Louie nudged Pippin to continue walking with him. "It's a trade secret that only the Jackals are supposed to know. They don't want any civilians to be able to use their Hidden Power because it would create too many variables, or as they say. Heh, guess there are some things they don't even teach the prince."
"But... I've trained with plenty of other Jackals. How come they've never used it in front of me?" the Piplup was full of questions today.
"It's only to be used in emergencies when all other force has been expended. As you can see from that demonstration, it requires vast amounts of outside stimulus as well as energy. But in situations where we are heavily outnumbered, a well-placed Hidden Power can surely turn the tides."
"Are other mons' Hidden Powers as strong as yours?" the Piplup asked.
"Actually, no. Master Torkoal told me that I should never use mine even in active combat because it's super dangerous or something. I honestly don't see the problem though," Louie contemplated.
"Yeah, me neither. It's a type of attack I've never seen before, so I wouldn't know how to counter it if I went up against it. I think it's a powerful alternative if you can't access your aura!" he cheered with a vibrant enthusiasm.
Crossing the completely open fields was trivial for the pair; before long, Louie searched through his bag to find his necklace and a batch of oran berries. He quickly shoved the mashed berries into his mouth, feeling the boost in energy. Although, he wished there were a berry that would better suit his current needs.
"Louie?" the Piplup suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Is this it?"
The duo observed an entrance to a cavern that extended far below the mountain. The stone walls seemed as if they were paved.
"You see any other cave around?" Louie joked, but Pippin did not seem very amused. "Anyway, since this is a completely unexplored dungeon, we got to figure out a name."
"Wa-wait... really?" the Piplup paused for a moment before giving a suggestion. "What about... decrepit depths?"
"I was thinking of hidden highlands, or... forbidden ruins..." Louie inputted.
"Nah... what about clandestine cave?"
"Where did you learn that word from?"
"In a book I found..."
"Okay, let's just settle for Clandestine Ruins?"
"Alright, that has a certain ring to it!"
They entered the dungeon.
"King Empoleon..." Luke's voice was respectful and gentle, and his eyes were pointed down toward the marble tile floor.
"What is so urgent that you must bother me during daylight? I have business to attend." the Empoleon shuffled around in his office with great diligence.
"I'm greatly sorry for disturbing you, but I fear that your… son may be in danger," the timid Riolu stated. He was slightly larger than the adolescent Louie, and his voice was deeper.
The King frowned in response, studying this upcoming Jackal closely for any ulterior motives. "Continue, you have my ear."
Taking the cue, Luke looked up towards the bastion of a Pokémon. "I think... Louie, my brother, is taking Pippin to a Mystery dung—"
"A MYSTERY DUNGEON?"
Clandestine Ruins B1F
"Let's try to move quickly, Pippin," Louie began. "We got to return before sun-down."
Pippin nodded as they quickened their pace. Louie could not help but hear strange noises echoing all around them.
The cave had absolutely no natural light, but luckily, the necklace around Louie's neck delivered much needed sight. Pippin huddled next to the Riolu, aware of the possibility of an ambush as he observed the darkness around them.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Pippin murmured.
Clandestine Ruins B2F
The voices grew deeper as they descended farther down the cave; all around them were strange scriptures that were illegible to the eyes.
"I'm surprised we haven't run into anything yet," the Piplup commented. "This place really gives me the creeps."
"Yeah..." Louie thought to himself before continuing. "Be prepared for anything!"
Clandestine Ruins B3F
So far, the dungeon had been a complete one-way path; however, now there were plenty of diverging paths. In addition, the hallways had become exponentially tighter, causing great claustrophobia for the Piplup.
"Jesh... all these dead-ends. Louie, are you sure we're not looping?" the Piplup asked.
"Yes, I'm certain of it," he said matter-of-factly. "This room hasn't been cleared yet because of the—"
Suddenly, they heard a sound perpetuating from the caverns above. It was a distant shriek that bellowed and grew in volume.
"PIPPIN, IT'S TIME TO RUN!"
Clandestine Ruins B4F
When they had reached a lower elevation, the sound was beginning to diminish, yet it never disappeared fully.
"Louie," Pippin paused to take a deep breath. "You think we lost whatever was back there?"
"I hope so, but let's keep our guards up. I'm starting to think this place doesn't want to be explored."
Pippin chuckled before returning to a crouched stance.
Louie decided to hold his necklace with his paw, guiding its light towards suspecting areas. As he did so, he noticed pieces of material littered across the floor. He could not recognize what the types of substance were, but he had an idea of whom constructed them.
We must be getting close...
Clandestine Ruins B5F
The air had become thick as they progressed further in the dungeon. Even with the necklace, the darkness around them had become practically pitch black because of the great mist.
"Louie... it may be a better idea if we just... left..." Pippin was starting to cough uncontrollably. "I know you really want your aura... but we could do this another time."
"NO!" Louie's eyes flashed red towards the Pippin. "We must go on..."
"Okay... but if something goes haywire, I'm not hesitating to use the escape or—"
Suddenly, rocks crumbled and crashed around them, and the pair found themselves in an arena-like room. Their surroundings were far more spacious and barren than they had gotten used to; something felt amiss.
"Louie, what's going on?"
"Pippin, take the bag!"
Without any hesitation, Louie swung the leather satchel towards Pippin after grabbing one specific item: luminous orb.
"Show yourselves!" Louie yelled at the top of his lung as he activated the orb.
The new, blinding light illuminated a room the size of a colosseum; everywhere seemed devoid of life until he looked—"
"ABOVE US, LOUIE!"
Examining the roof of the cavern, Louie spotted several Dusclops shifting through the stone just like when he walked through that brick wall earlier in the day.
"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?" Pippin shouted in anxiety.
"I th-think those are Gh—" Louie was suddenly interrupted by an urge to fight. "We stand our ground, Pippin. Let's give it all we have!"
"Agreed," the Piplup's voice squeaked in a lack of confidence.
Pippin focused on one of the Dusclops before unleashing a barrage of bubbles. The hit directly landed on the head of the target, causing it to disintegrate into nothingness. "That's one!"
The cycle continued, but a few Dusclops touched ground. That was Louie's job. "Oh, I'm going to absolutely hate this..."
Louie narrowly avoided a Shadow Ball from the Dusclop, so he seized the opportunity to close the gap. Edging next to the phantom, Louie readied his jaws and bit the Dusclops with radiating energy. Surprisingly, the taste of Ghosts was mildly satisfying.
"Woah... Louie, isn't it forbidden to Bite?" the Piplup momentarily paused his blasts to question Louie.
"Does it look like time to play by the rules? I read in the books that forbidden moves like Bite are often effective against these monstrosities. Plus, my normal moves won't inflict damage!"
"Okay, well... stay careful!" the Piplup resumed his attacks.
After a minute passed, the duo was chaining their strikes against the incoming waves. They were quickly squashing the leftover Dusclops, but they weren't fast enough.
"New targets coming from the ground!" the Riolu reported.
This time there were Haunters and Mismagiuses appearing from the surface; the problem was that both Louie and Pippin were low on energy.
"Pippin... you got to blast them, so I can get up close!"
"I—I can't! I can barely even muster a water gun now..." the Piplup looked extremely sluggish.
Louie and Pippin's backs were against each other as the circle of Ghosts narrowed towards them.
"Can... you peck then?" Louie asked urgently.
"If what you want is a tickle..."
The circle closed closer and closer. Louie had to think of something: "PIPPIN, use the spikes. Stab me with it! QUICKLY!"
The Piplup followed up with the plan, but his flippers were caught inside the bag. "I...I can't!"
They were completely overwhelmed now, and the Piplup was being barraged by hostile Ghosts. There was nothing Louie could do... except...
He closed his eyes to the incoming pain; somehow, someway, his mind cleared and there were no negative emotions, even when he tried to force them. He was focused.
His mind was a blank state, completely static. But an energy he had never felt before radiated from it. It was so raw... so astronomically powerful that it had to be released.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Louie opened his eyes to a roar that left the entire dungeon shaking.
His body was absorbed in a blue energy that permeated the room in a wave. After a few moments, the room cleared, and the Ghosts were scurrying to escape.
"Wow... was that my—" before Louie could finish the sentence, he spotted the unconscious Piplup lying upon the floor.
I need to help him...
He began his sprint towards the Piplup when he heard a powerful sound above him.
There's more trouble...
The Riolu stopped in his steps, wondering what his next move should be.
If I help Pippin, I'll only be waiting for the inevitable. I need to move on!
But he stared at the defeated Piplup and contemplated further.
I can't just leave him...
He paused.
But I can... there's nothing stopping me.
Taking a deep breath, the Riolu redirected towards the singular hallway that led to the next area. He was shaking off the fear and regret when he closed his eyes.
As he rushed down the seemingly endless hallway towards darkness, he heard his companion's voice once again.
"LOUIE, HELP ME!"
Mount Abbey 3rd Clearing
"Louie, why have you been so quiet lately?"
The two sat in opposite corners of each other in the familiar looking Kangaskhan room. Louie was sorting through their bag when Kippy posed the question.
"Wh-what do you mean?" the Riolu finally replied.
"You haven't been talking much in the dungeons, or even here..." Kippy continued. "Is there something I should know...?"
"N-no..." the Riolu quickly stated. "Well, not really. I'm still having trouble coping with—"
"Having to go back to the outside?" Kippy finished the sentence for him.
"Yes, exactly," Louie shifted his body towards Kippy. "The Farm was good to me; I don't think the outside will welcome me with open arms."
"Why's that?" Kippy quickly added, "I bet most Pokémon won't even know who you are. It'll be like the start of a new life!"
Louie chuckled to himself before replying: "maybe... but there are many things I did that I desperately regret. It's hard for me to go back when I can still feel the weight of my actions..."
Kippy suddenly stood up. "But that's the thing: everybody has to face their past and their circumstances eventually. That's how life works; that's how we become better peopl-, or I guess Pokémon," the Mudkip sighed before giving his last statement. "It seems like I'm not the only one who must discover their meaning in this life."
"Since when were you such a philosopher?" the Riolu glared at the Kippy before giving a defeated look. "But... you're right. It's time I fight my demons."
"But it's not just about fighting the past evils; it's also about discovering a bright future and a new passion. I'm frankly excited about journeying to new places, and I hope you are too."
When Pippin's cries were no longer audible, the Riolu had arrived in a suspicious room filled with a bizarre glow. As he stepped his feet into the chamber, his surroundings all changed. Everything around him was of glass, and everyone looked like him...
Mirrors? Why here of all places?
As he slowly trekked through this maze, the clones of him walked with him as well. He saw the wounds, the blood flowing from them... on himself... and when his heart raced because he felt trapped, the clones reflected his anxiety.
Every time he thought he was making a path he would march into a mirror and stumble back. Afterwards, his direction would become altered. He continued this cycle perpetually, his mind slowly killing itself in the process.
Have... to keep... going...
The clones looked as if they were laughing at him, as if they knew he would never succeed.
You're pathetic, Louie.
Only a fool like you would leave your precious friend behind.
What type of Pokémon are you?
All these negative thoughts ambushed his mind, leaving a husk, a shell.
Even with all that pain, all that regret, he still could not muster the strength for Hidden Power.
I must break... this curse... but how?
His vision began to blur with the surrounding mirrors, leaving himself barely any ability to navigate. With such failing sight, he decided to shut it all out. His eyelids closed.
Focus, Louie. Think solely on the mission. The purpose.
Although he could not see himself, his entire body radiated of blue energy.
His conscience fell into deep rest yet again, and somehow, he began walking once again. But this time, he never hit a single mirror. All the clones around him followed, and they too found their own exit.
When Louie's feet felt the familiar feeling of rock and stone, he reopened his eyes.
"YES!" Louie screamed. "I DID IT!"
He let out a sigh of relief before remembering all the sacrifices he had to make. With little warning, his body bolted towards the end of the dungeon.
Right before entering the final room, he felt a change in the atmosphere. The oxygen here was plentiful, and it felt as if this place was protected from the blights of the dungeon.
This has to be it...
Crossing this invisible barrier, he found a strange room that was covered in white tile. There were lights that activated once he entered the room in the ceiling above him.
Woah... what is this place?
A click sound occurred nearby, and a piston pushed up two objects from the clean floor. One capsule was completely empty, while the other...
A map?
He quickly grabbed the object before the piston pulled itself back down. Then, the Riolu examined the worn and old nature of the scroll as he opened it.
All around the actual illustration of Awe were words he had never seen before. They were written similar to Unown characters, but he had never learned those either. A sense of mysticism and excitement flowed from this discovery.
Examining the map now, he guided his paw to an entrance slightly south of The Maw, a few miles north of this location. There were a string of arrows pointing towards a valley over a series of mountain ranges from the dungeon.
Huh...?
Refolding the scroll, Louie decided to search the end of the room. At the farthest left and right corners, there were two doors. The door on his left was open, yet when Louie tried to step into it, he was blocked by a magical force. Peeking into it, he could spot rocks that seemed frozen in the air... how was that possible? Although he could not read the words, the top of the door stated: "Augustior Humano Uisu".
In the middle of the wall separating the two doors was a digital clock. It merely showed "0000:00:00", and it was blinking red. He questioned what magical force was allowing this device to function, but he knew he would find no answer.
On the right was a steel-clad door that could most likely survive multiple Hyper Beams, so he was not going to try his luck opening it through brute force. Before stepping too close, he spotted a sign similar to the one written for the other door; this time, the inscribed words were "Ultimum Contingentiam". Unlike the other sign, the words here were blinking red like the clock.
He felt slightly queasy seeing all this unknown technology. Wondering if there were any mechanism to open the vault door remotely, he searched the room for any switch or button. No luck. Eventually, he gave up and decided to march up to the door.
Suddenly, a sensor appeared from the top of the wall that shined a red light on Louie. His mind was so exhausted at this point that he just let the machine complete whatever task it was doing. A few seconds passed, and a large siren blasted itself.
However, Louie did not care; Louie did not care about anything now. His energy seeped away as his legs and body crumbled until he was on the floor.
Hearing the faint chirping of Pidgeys in the distance, the Riolu opened his eyes to the bright sunlight that blinded him. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the setting sun as well as to realize where he was. He was outside the dungeon now.
"Lo-Louie..." a voice permeated through his right ear. "You're lucky I had an escape orb... or I would have been giblets!"
Lying on his back, the Riolu slowly shifted his head towards the frowning Piplup. He was absolutely amazed, not by his words, but the expression on his face. The Piplup was undoubtedly mad.
"You think this is funny, Louie? You almost got me killed, and you left me there! You left me to those beasts, and you don't care a single bit."
"But... you're still alive, aren't you?" After Louie's snarky question and laugh, the Piplup stomped his right foot on Louie's face.
"You lied about all of it, didn't you? This was never about getting your aura, was it?" Before Louie could respond, the Piplup grabbed a map from the bag. "It was all to GET THIS?"
The Riolu was speechless. He stuttered on his thoughts before giving a response: "I—I did find my aura..."
"CUT THAT CRAP OUT!" Pippin's voice was peaking in volume. "We almost died to get a dumb map THAT'S NOT EVEN LEGIBLE!" the Piplup was hyperventilating now.
"Pippin... calm down," Louie asserted. "I really did get my aura!"
"HOW? WE ALL KNOW THAT'S NOT POS—" Pippin paused to take a breath. "Show me then."
Louie lifted himself off the ground by himself; he stared into the Piplup's eyes as he breathed heavily.
It's now or nothing.
His eyes closed once again, and his mind cleared. Everything felt exactly as it was supposed to, yet no matter how long he stood there, Louie never felt the energy being absorbed through his body. When he tried to unleash the attack, there was no blue light. There was no blast.
"Are you done yet, Louie?" Pippin said with little remorse.
"I... I know I did one..."
"The attack you thought was your aura was probably Hidden Power... because all you can do is cast forbidden moves and be a cheater. And you sacrifice others for your own will. How long will it take for you to realize... you'll never be a real Jackal!" the words pierced through Louie's heart.
"Take... that BACK!" Louie charged towards the Piplup in a blind fury, but he was stopped by an unknown force.
"YOU DARE STRIKE MY SON?" the loud voice penetrated Louie's ear drums as was the King's steel flipper into Louie's chest. The blow was devastating.
"Agghh..." Louie groaned in pain.
The wind was blowing fiercely when Louie shook himself out of slumber.
"Hello, brother." The voice came from behind him.
Louie's anxiety rose to new levels when he realized what he was doing: flying. He, alongside another Riolu, were both riding on a singular Staraptor. One little mishap... one little accident... he could...
"Brother! Focus on me, not the ground below us." Luke's voice was commanding enough to halt Louie's wandering eyes.
To avoid thinking about the current situation, Louie's mind rewound to earlier in the day. He remembered the argument, traveling to the cave, and removing those illusions. But... everything afterwards was becoming an absolute blur. He knew they were ambushed, but by whom? And how did they escape?
Agh... what was the reason we risked our lives for this?
He looked towards his companion who was comfortably resting behind King Empoleon. They were both riding on a Staravia, and for some reason, Louie became grateful of Pippin's smile.
"So, Louie..." Luke's voice interrupted his train of thought. "What exactly were you doing in that dungeon?"
"Isn't the debrief always back at—"
"Just answer the question."
Louie turned his head forward before replying: "we were..." he honestly paused because he still was not quite sure. "I think we were trying to excavate... human artifacts. Yeah, that's it!" Louie suddenly cheered in excitement before realizing the consequences of his words.
"What did you find there?"
Louie's mind was blank once again. There was nothing he could recall except the pain of whatever enemy they faced there. And for some reason, he had a faint memory of a maze of mirrors, but he thought his head was playing tricks with him. "I don't think we ever reached the end. I think we barely escaped... but I honestly don't remember anything else," he finally said.
Except that was not completely true. At the back of his mind, the fleeting memory of the precious map inside of Pippin's treasure bag was present, and the strange symbols it showed, the hidden pathway it revealed. He needed that map back.
"So, you two risked both your lives looking for human artifacts and completely failed," Luke pretentiously scoffed at him. "You really deser—"
Louie's heart sank when he realized: "You're the one that told Empoleon," the Riolu stated emotionlessly with his teeth clenched. "You're the reason why I'll be locked in the cells for a we—"
"Weeks. And yes, I was the one that carried the word to Empoleon. And you're going to blame me for it? You two were about to tear each other apart if Empoleon and I didn't show up," Luke's voice was coarse.
"You're my brother... and you betrayed me! WHAT TYPE OF BROTHER DOES THAT?!" Louie turned around and wrestled into his brother's arms; tears flowed down his cheeks.
"What type of Jackal can't access their aura and leaves their Prince behind to rot?"
"Why can't you let me... win once! JUST ONCE!" the force exerted by Louie grew stronger.
"I did what I was supposed to, brother. I corrected your path, so you wouldn't fall into darkness. I granted you mercy, yet you would object to this." Luke pushed back against Louie in retaliation. They were at a stalemate now.
"I can't have my aura. I can't be as strong or as smart as you are... so why can't you let me have fun? Why do you have to RUIN EVERYTHING?" Louie could barely move his arms from the exhaustion. His entire body was shaking, however.
"CAN YOU TWO CALM IT?" shrieked the Staravia trying to balance herself.
Luke nodded before suddenly placing both his paws on Louie's shoulders. "You were always so sensitive, so emotional, Louie. None of this was personal, so rest Louie. Sleep... and it'll all be okay."
With Luke's aura touch, Louie began to drift back into sleep.
The map... I must take it back...
It shall be a pathway away from this cruel, cruel world.
And I will be free, at last.
Because it was all just bricks in the wall...